Pages

Monday, April 21, 2014

Guest Post & Giveaway ~*~ Something to Lose by Tamra Lassiter

Background of the
book

Something to Lose is set in lovely
Canandaigua, New York, one of my favorite places in the world. My cousin moved
there eight years ago and my family has visited every summer since. The
downtown area is quaint and the lake is beautiful. Canandaigua is one of the
Finger Lakes, which means that the lake is long and skinny. Yep, like a finger.
I love boating right down the middle of the lake and checking out all the
houses that line the shore, wishing that someday, one of them could be mine.

I wanted to write a romantic suspense novel
set in this area, which to its credit doesn’t ooze suspense There was a time,
however, when the Rochester area did have its share of trouble. The mob was
very active in Rochester and Buffalo in the seventies and eighties. The mob is
a horrible reality, but people are intrigued by mafia life and the stories
somehow make for good entertainment.

In Something
to Lose, I present the idea that the mob is still active in this area. I
have no reason to think that it is, but I have no reason to think that it isn’t either. It doesn’t seem like a far
stretch to think that it’s still around, working underground and trying to
conduct their business under the radar. I have a very active imagination, but
in the end, Something to Lose is a
work of fiction.

In addition to setting my book in
Canandaigua, I wanted to write about a woman with a Polish background. I’ve
been blessed with a large, Polish family myself and I wanted to pay homage to
the greatness that it is. My family isn’t all sunshine and roses, I don’t think
any family is, but the good outweighs the bad a hundredfold.

Something to Lose

by Tamra Lassiter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Everyone has
something to lose.

Camden
Piotrowski is justifiably upset to find her boyfriend in the arms of another
woman. But it’s not the end of her world and definitely not something that a
bubble bath, good wine, and cookie dough won’t help. Her pity party is
interrupted when handsome Seth Vendetti bursts into her bathroom. She soon
discovers that her world and those in it are not as they seem. Can she trust
Seth’s version of the truth and make him realize that even he has something to
lose?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:

I
finish and place my plate and fork on the coffee table and turn to face Joey.
He’s totally into me, or seems to be, but is it enough for him to want to go
for the full gusto? He leans towards me and lightly kisses me just below my
right ear. The motion does absolutely nothing for me other than make me feel a
little nauseous. It’s not like when Seth’s lips touch me. Thoughts of Seth make
my cheeks flush. Joey must take that as a good sign because he goes for my lips
next. I fight the urge to flee and try to fake enjoyment. Does it work? Can he
tell?

Joey’s
hands move around my neck. He pulls me closer. I pull away and look to him
shyly.

“You
feel it, don’t you?” he asks, a creepy smile on his face.

I
smile, as if I’m embarrassed. I know my cheeks are still flushed, mostly with
worry for what I’m about to do. I nod my head towards Comb-Over and Crooked
Nose, who have just taken seats at the table. “Can they go somewhere?” I ask as
innocently as possible. I even bat my eyelashes a couple times just for effect.
Joey smiles again, this time triumphant, a knowing smile and then snaps his
fingers. The men exit my apartment without saying a word.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Tamra
Lassiter lives in Northern Virginia with her supportive husband, two lovely
daughters, elegant Great Dane and not-so-elegant, but very sweet, English
Bulldog. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading and of course,
writing.

I'm glad my books sound interesting to you, especially since you're not a contemporary fan. I love movies set in other time periods, but I'm not big on reading Historicals. I would love to write one, though, if a story ever comes to me. :)

Networked Blogs

Blog Nation

Book Blogger List

GoodReads

Illustrious Illusions is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. We make mere pennies on your purchase, but appreciate it to allow us to provide you with quality reviews.